Can we badmouth the Pioneer DV-343 for a second?

[homerpez]

I bought one once, it was clearly defective, and I returned it. Eventually, I got an Apex 500W. But stories abound on how the Pioneer DV-343 is immortal, plays everything, no choking. And my Apex has a weak (getting weaker) DVD-Rom drive.

So, I'm once again looking to grab a Pioneer.

The purpose of this post? Talk me out of it.

Tell me only the bad, negative things you can about this player. Tell me what makes it choke. What it doesn't play. What I can't encode or multiplex with. Tell me how it broke down for you.

But be HONEST about it.

[Spicuzza]

The only problem I've encountered with my Pioneer DV-343 is that occassionally it will choke on a CD-RW that I have used the "quick erase" feature with Nero and or Ulead 6.0. This is not an all the time thing just every once in a while. However, when this happens I just use Nero for full erase, burn the exact same file and it works just fine.

I don't think this actually qualifies as a problem with the DV-343, but it is the only insignificant problem I've had with the unit.

Gary Spicuzza
cic7@juno.com

[corrupt]

man mine will play all the cd's i've thrown at it. some play noisier than others (the sound of the cd spinning, not the audio) but they will all play. the only thing i know that plays with a slight jerk in it is an svcd done with tmpgenc with a higher quality setting.
for the price you cant argue.

[kinneera]

I bought one once, it was clearly defective, and I returned it.

Every manufacturing process has an allowable quantity of defective product, statistically minimized of course. It sounds like you were one of the unlucky few who found yourself in possession of one of the <1% acceptable defective units! Give it another shot, I think there's statistically better odds of you getting killed by a meteor tomorrow than getting another defective unit.

[homerpez]

Well, so far I'm still convinced to try again (only the wife to contend with).

There must be SOMETHING bad about it...

[EricB]

Mine will sometimes do a noticeable pause between chapters on standard DVDs. It has done this from the start but I never considered it serious enough to return the unit.

I also have experienced some sections of a DVD which will play on the computer DVD drive but choke on the Pioneer.

So, I don't consider these as perfect, but very solid.

[homerpez]

What I'm gathering is that there really aren't any fatal problems with the DV-343 unit at all... my wife is gonna be soooo pissed!

How about chapters using TSCV? DO they work properly on this player?

(That's about the last thing I can think of it could fail at... it does VBR MPEG-1, VBR MPEG-2... it MUST have a weakness!)

[Mordant]

Has anyone made an xVCD mpeg 1 with a size other than 352x240 and had it play correctly on the 343? If so, what did you use to author and burn it?

I've made xSVCDs with different sizes with no problem, but the VCDs I've messed with all play in the half screen style box.

Just curious. I really only use SVCDs these days at any rate, but always wondered if I just did something wrong with those xVCDs.

I've really not found anything I really didn't like about this player. The lack of MP3 support maybe? I loved dloading the LoTR SVCD set, burning them, and just throwing them in.

[tbernard64]

not a flaw but I haven't a way to disable region code or macrovision on my 343. Other ones may allow you to do that, right ?

[homerpez]

Mordant, I have heard that about the DV-343... but that's not a probelm for me since everything I've done is standard resolution (only heavy use of VBR and lower audio BR make mine different from VCD and SVCD)...

Basically, unless TSCV chapters make the unit catch fire, I've decided to get me one...

Thanks for the input!

[hitechjunkie]

I bought one once, it was clearly defective, and I returned it.

Every manufacturing process has an allowable quantity of defective product, statistically minimized of course.

unless u happen to be the unlucky chap (or chappette) who purchased a sony dvps360 or dvps560d!? have u seen the reviews on these two models at audioreview? simply horrible!

[thxkid]

No I won't talk you out of spending more money on the pioner when you can have a better player in the Daewoo 5700 at $99 Sams Club, I know for a fact that the pioneer will not play a SVCD at 704x480 at 6000 bitrate, the daewoo 5700 can without a problem and it plays everything I throw at it, I have problems playing any SVCD over 3500 bitrate on any other DVD player and how many others play the DVD-R like the daewoo does, Pioneer 343 does not.
The Daewoo has the 27mhz, 10 bit video and 96mhz 24 bit audio D/a convertor, the pioneer does not, so yes please go head get this great noisey Pioneer DVD player and leave the Daewoo 5700 for people who want a very quite machine that looks and plays great.

[kinneera]

Has anyone made an xVCD mpeg 1 with a size other than 352x240 and had it play correctly on the 343? If so, what did you use to author and burn it?

I have created 720x480 XVCDs that played just fine on this unit. Usually its an issue with the DAR if it doesn't look correct.

How about chapters using TSCV? DO they work properly on this player?

I author discs with chapters using TSCV all the time and it works just fine.

Mine (and I gather most) make no discernable noise whatsoever.

[homerpez]

I don't plan on playing anything in excess of 3000 SVCD bitrate anyway... kind of neither here nor there for me...

The worry I would have getting the Daewoo? Durability.

I already have a player that literally plays everything thrown at it (Apex 500W, Wal-Mart model). The problem is the quality of construction. While the "guts" that decode the video are accepting of all formats/resolutions imagi8nable, and play them well, the DVD-ROM unit inside is A TOTAL PEICE OF CRAP.

The real story of my first Pioneer DV-343 purchase is this. I started out with an Apex 500W, same as I have now. Well, not 30 days into using it, I started to get blocks everywhere, and garbled-up video on almost every VCD or SVCD I played. I cleaned the head, cleaned the disks, and same problems. Since all the disks were readable on the PC, it clearly was the Apex.

I return the Apex for a refund (cash) and run to Circuit City to look for the Pioneer. They happened to have one or two left (discontinued at that store I guess) so I took it home. It had burned-out color, skipped and stuttered on EVERY VCD I put into it, and could not be adjusted. It was clearly defective. I brought it back, cash. Back to Wal-Mart, got a different Apex 500W.

Well, guess what? I now again have a model for $99 that "plays everything"... but the DVD-ROM unit is showing signs of death again! It even has started choking on my cleaning CD!

So, what I need is that magical balance - ability to play 99% of what I throw at it (MPEG-1 or 2, 128k audio, 0-2700 bitrate range MIN and MAX), while at the same time containing components that won't quit on me in a month.

Hence, my renewed interest in the DV-343.

If I could be so sure about the durability of the Daewoo, maybe I'd grab one of those instead... but that's where I'm skeptical.

And since kineera now reports that TSCV chapers work well on the thing, CH-Ching! I'm getting one. While they're still on sale at Amazon.com, of course...

[homerpez]

OK... I finally got it, and here's my evaluation...

#1: WHY DIDN'T SOMEONE MENTION HOW RF MODULATORS MAKE IT GO NUTS?!?!? It's true. I've never seen a DVD player act so strangely when plugged into an RF modulator (A/V IN, CH 4 OUT)... that's where the insane "bright" effect came from... luckily I could plug it directly into the front of my TV, and sure enough it plays nicely.

I didn't want to use the front A/V ports on the TV, since I have an 8-month old who's "on-the-move" and grabs cords... but I'll figure out something...

All in all, I like this player. Good color, sharp picture, and it does seem to play (most) anything.

It seems to have an issue playing back material which was encoded with TMPGEnc AND multiplexed with TMPGEnc. I suspect if I make a new disc that's re-muxed with bbMPEG, it'll solve this problem.

Last complaint, if I can find one... no time search. At least, none I can find... only Next/Prev, chapter # and scan mode. But no time skip function.

[Kdiddy]

Not sure if you know this or care...but you can replace the Apex 500 DVD-rom drive with regular IDE DVD-ROM drive. I did this with one I had and place my 10X DVD ROM in it, work perfectly...allows you to obtain higher bitrates as well....I've even seen on a webpage somewhere where somone put a harddrive in it as well. The only reason I didnt keep my 500 is that the mpeg decoder was substandard in my opinion.

As for the Pioner...my only drawback would be lack of mp3 support.

[homerpez]

I did in fact know that... I just feel better offering someone else the chance... selling in E-Bay...

I have actually opened it up and plugged in a DVD-ROM, and it did work, but at the time I wasn't having problems, and couldn't mount it the right way... so maybe someone else can...

I feel much better with the Pioneer, since it's better all around and I don't have to worry about the drive going bad...